Luke selected for USAF F-35A training base.

[spazsinbad]

Additional F-35s coming to Luke AFB 16 Jul 2013 by Capt. Tristan Hinderliter 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

"7/16/2013 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- Air Force officials announced June 27 that Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., has been chosen as the location for 72 additional F-35A Lightning IIs, bringing the eventual total number of the fifth-generation fighters expected here to 144.

The Air Force's initial decision to establish an F-35 pilot training center here was announced in August 2012, following a three-year process that included an extensive environmental impact analysis....

...Aircraft are expected to begin arriving at Luke AFB in spring 2014, although exact timing will depend on production schedules. Construction on base to prepare for the aircraft is currently underway, with about $10 million of $57 million in projects already completed.

The 2012 Record of Decision cited several reasons why Luke AFB was the service's top choice for F-35A basing, including facility and ramp capacity, range access, weather and capacity for future growth....

...In addition to training U.S. pilots, Luke will also serve as an F-35A International Partner Training site."

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123356004

[neptune]

US Navy Program Guide 2013 13 Mar 2013

"...STOVL Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is planned in 2015, and CV IOC is planned in 2018. By the end of 2014, the Navy plans to procure 50 STOVL (with 34 delivered) and 26 CV aircraft (with 13 delivered). The first USMC STOVL transition of a legacy F/A-18 squadron took place in November 2012. The first Navy CV transition of a legacy F/A-18 squadron is scheduled for 2016...."

http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNph ... ing#250948
OR
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/policy/sea ... -npg13.pdf (9.7Mb)

Please note the USN purchases all a/c for the USMC; thus...the Canoe Club is not going into the STOVL business (at this time)

[spazsinbad]

Some parts of this article had to be NOT excerpted so it was the 'maintainer' bits - sorry about that so go to the URL to read it all.

Luke busy preparing for arrival of F-35s 24 Jul 2013 Paul Giblin (Phoenix) Arizona Republic

"With the arrival of the first wave of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base just months away, construction is under way on facilities where pilots will be trained and the planes will be maintained.

In all, Air Force executives have projected a $265 million, seven-year construction program specifically to accommodate the F-35 pilot-training program at the base in west Glendale.

The build-up will allow Luke to serve as the permanent training base for 144 of the single-engine stealth jets that military analysts say will be crucial to U.S. air-defense operations for the next 40 years.

The construction is scheduled to be completed in six major phases to coincide with the arrival of six squadrons of F-35s and the departure of six squadrons of older F-16 fighter jets that are relocating elsewhere....

...The first F-35 assigned to Luke is expected to arrive between January and March.

Luke’s first F-35 also is expected to be the 100th production F-35 manufactured by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., in Fort Worth, Texas, ticking off two important milestones for the F-35 program simultaneously, Fredrick said.

The rest of the planes in Luke’s first 24-plane squadron are expected to be delivered in groups of one to four throughout 2014, said Lockheed Martin spokesman Michael Rein. Each plane takes about two years to assemble and costs $65 million, he said....

...The classroom building eventually will be used by all six squadrons of pilots-in-training, but each of the six squadrons will get their own operations and maintenance buildings.

The Academic Training Center alone is budgeted for $54 million. The L-shaped building will house classrooms, an auditorium, administrative offices and perhaps most importantly, a dozen F-35 cockpit simulators.

The structure is scheduled to open with two simulators in August 2014; the remaining simulators will be added as additional squadrons arrive later, Fredrick said.

The simulators essentially are life-size, three-dimensional video games that allow student pilots to get time behind the controls of an F-35 without leaving the ground.

The simulators are especially valuable for teaching beginning skills, such as how to start the aircraft and how to handle preflight communications with ground crews and tower personnel without burning through hours and hours worth of jet fuel, Fredrick said.

In addition, instructors can prepare trainees for a variety of flight situations by programming an array of weather conditions, in-flight mechanical malfunctions and attacks by enemy combatants, all without the risk of losing lives or property.

“That’s exactly where you want young pilots to make their mistakes,” Fredrick said.

The $10 million Squadron Operations building will be the primary place where pilots prepare for flights. The building will feature a theater-style briefing room and space for pilots to program their planes’ computer systems before takeoff.

“You put 30 guys in the room who are going to fly at 10 o’clock today and you tell them what the weather is, what the restrictions are, and out they go,” Fredrick said.

The most sensitive equipment in the operations building will be housed in “the vault,” a densely constructed high-security section that’s designed to keep inquiring minds inquiring indefinitely, he said....

...Foreign military pilots also will train at Luke. The first F-35 squadron will be comprised of U.S. and Australian pilots. Italian, Turkish and Norwegian pilots are scheduled to join the mix in 2015."

http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20 ... /307240038

[Corsair1963]

So, foreign pilots go to Eglin and then Luke for more advance training???

[spazsinbad]

Yep.

[spazsinbad]

First of two F-35 training facilities at Luke set to open mid-October By CAROLYN DRYER, FCP Visions EDITOR summer 2013

"Sequestration is not affecting construction of two F-35 training facilities at Luke Air Force Base. Although sequestration, which involved civilian personnel furloughs, resulted in cancellation of the spring open house and air show at the base, it has no effect on the F-35 program.

Lt. Col. Scott Fredrick, F-35 Division Chief in the F-35 integration office at Luke AFB, said the money was programmed a few years ago for construction of the facilities.

“So, all F-35 buildings are as programmed right now,” he said.

Fredrick said as he walks through the project, he sees “quite a few folks out there wearing hardhats,” and construction is right on schedule.

In fact, the first building, what is called Ops 1, the squadron building for pilots, should be up and operational in mid-October. Half of this structure is the building that housed the 62nd Fighter Squadron operations unit. It is 100 feet from the aircraft maintenance unit.

The other large project, the academic training center, is where pilots and maintainers will learn about aircraft, how to fly and fix it. Pilots who will be coming to this center are instructor pilots in various aircraft who will be transitioning to the F-35.

Fredrick said, "Ops #1, or Operations Building #1, will have 14 offices in the unclassified side and eight briefing rooms and another eight offices in the vault area for pilot briefings.

Ops 1 building is 22,000 square feet at a cost of $13 million.

The academic center, set to open in mid- to late-2014, is what Fredrick called “a huge building.” At a cost of $54 million, this 145,000-square-foot center will house 12 flight simulators, have multiple classrooms for academics and maintainers.

Contractor for design of both buildings is Burns & McDonnell. Army Corps of Engineers is monitoring construction, Fredrick said.

An F-16 instructor pilot himself, Fredrick said four other F-16 instructor pilots will be part of his office, “to make sure future F-35 pilots are up for success.”

Once the first building is completed, Fredrick said there would likely be notification to the public. And, citizens will also be notified when the first F-35A Lightning II touches down at its home training base on the Luke AFB runway. Fredrick said that landing is expected in January."

http://7d6e9e7658da9784db93-14213a79f70 ... r-2013.pdf (20Mb)

[spazsinbad]

Construction began shortly after Luke selection for F-35 training By CAROLYN DRYER, FCP Visions EDITOR summer 2013

"...Webb praised the F-35’s capabilities to those who questioned its safety. He said it would replace the F16s and A10s now being flown by the military. In addition to U.S. pilots, Webb said there would be seven F-35A partners on site....

...In a written statement, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said, “The Air Force is committed to training our U.S. and partner nation pilots on this fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Collaborative training on aircraft designed with stealth, maneuverability and integrated avionics will better prepare our combined forces to assume multi-role missions for the future of tactical aviation.”

http://7d6e9e7658da9784db93-14213a79f70 ... r-2013.pdf (20Mb)

[spazsinbad]

Posted already on the forum but repeated here.... Note RAAF F-35A training to 2020 Stateside.

RAAA Convention - Oct 2012 AVM Osley

www.raaa.com.au/convention/2012/present ... y-RAAF.pdf (5.3Mb)

[neptune]

http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20 ... adron-fall

AF expects F-35 upgrade, 2nd training squadron in the fall

Sep. 13, 2013

By Brian Everstine

The Air Force’s F-35 program is expected to reach two major milestones this fall: the adoption of an advanced software and weapons system on the single-engine jet, and the beginning of major pilot training at the service’s second base for the fighter.

As of early September, 36 Air Force instructor pilots had finished training on the 14 conventional takeoff models that have been delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The base in August surpassed more than 2,000 combined sorties on Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy variants.

“We are safely operating the aircraft and continuing to increase operations because we have well-trained maintainers and well-trained pilots,” said Col. Stephen Jost, commander of the 33rd Operations Group at Eglin.

Also in late August, maintenance crews at Eglin performed the first weapons load verification on the Air Force variant, loading and unloading laser-guided and GPS-guided bombs and air-to-air missiles. The verification will help officials write the training manuals for loading weapons on F-35s.

“We’re refining technical data that’s already written,” said Tech. Sgt. Lance Murphy, a crew chief in the 58th Maintenance Squadron. “Going in the proper sequence ... walking through an actual, physical load. Engaging munitions in the aircraft and making sure that everything is good to go. Everything works as advertised.”

This will set the standards for operations of live munitions in operational testing, which will then be refined and used for F-35 maintainer training back at Eglin.

The training program at Eglin is expected to begin operating the next software upgrade of the aircraft beginning in November, Block 2B. The software upgrade will include support for internal weapons, such as the AIM-120C missile and GBU-32/31 and GBU-21 bombs, according to the Defense Department.

The upgrade to Block 2B is the “biggest milestone” that Eglin officials are working toward. Once training begins on the new software system, pilots will need to fly three additional training sorties, along with additional academic sessions and time in flight simulators.

The Air Force earlier this year announced that it expects initial operating capability of the F-35A in December 2016, meaning at least 12 pilots trained on the Block 2B upgrade. The final software suite for full combat capability, Block 3F, is expected in 2017.

In June, Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, head of the Joint Fighter Program, said he is “less than confident” that the final 2017 capability will be met on time due to delays.

In addition to the software upgrade this fall, the Air Force is expected to stand up pilot training at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in November. Last month, two instructor pilots and six crew chiefs transferred to the base to get the program started.

The squadron, the 61st Fighter Squadron, will start flying operations in the spring or early summer, Jost said. The Air Force expects 144 F-35s to eventually be assigned to the training center.

The base is currently the training center for F-16 pilots but will transfer its Falcons to Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., as the F-35s arrive.

The Air Force also is expected to stand up the F-35A maintenance depot at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, at the end of the year. Around that time, the service will announce its primary and preferred bases outside of the continental United States.

Last month, Gen. Herbert Carlisle, commander of Pacific Air Forces, said Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, is the front-runner for the assignment.

[neptune]

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/index.html

First Luke Lightning II

The first F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona, was delivered 10 March 2014. Col. Roderick Cregier, a US Air Force test pilot stationed at Edwards AFB, California, flew the aircraft from the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to the base near Phoenix. The aircraft is the first of 144 that will eventually be assigned to Luke. Approximately sixteen aircraft are expected by the end of 2014, and the full contingent of aircraft, including those for international operators, should arrive incrementally over the next decade.

[neptune]

First Luke F-35A Formally Delivered

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/f35_news ... em_id=1239

The first F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing was formally delivered in ceremonies at Luke AFB, Arizona, on 14 March 2014. Several hundred dignitaries, local civic leaders, wing military and civilian personnel attended the ceremony. The F-35A (Air Force serial number 11-5030) is the first of 144 F-35As scheduled for delivery to the base in Phoenix. Today’s official welcoming ceremony marks the delivery of the thirty-fifth F-35 to the US Air Force and the stand-up of the eighth F-35 base. In 2015, Luke AFB will begin training U.S. Air Force pilots and eventually pilots from international air forces.

[spazsinbad]

From Inside Da Fence NewsTand:

Air Force, LM And Partners Hashing Out Details Of F-35 Training At Luke 12 Apr 2014
Government and industry Joint Strike Fighter program officials are stepping up preparations for the first-of-its-kind integrated and pooled pilot training system set to open at Luke Air Force Base, AZ, next year, with the base preparing to grow its F-35 fleet and welcome the first internationally owned jets to the desert...."

SOURCE: http://defensenewsstand.com/index.php?o ... J0aWNsZS8=

[neptune]

http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/t ... e-afb.aspx

F-35 flies first training sortie at Luke AFB


.. An F-35 Lightning II took to the sky over the West Valley here, May 5, in what was the first local training sortie for the fifth-generation fighter jet.

The jet is currently the only F-35 at Luke Air Force Base with additional jets expected to arrive within the next few weeks.

"....Lt. Col. Michael Ebner, the 61st Fighter Squadron commander. "Our first sortie this week represents a significant milestone in the F-35 program at Luke (AFB)."

... currently six F-35 pilots assigned to the 61st FS. ... eventually be approximately 30 pilots by the time the squadron is up to full capacity.

The 61st FS coordinates .. to fly the jet when it is available -- which, as of this week, is approximately 1-2 times per day. That number could increase to 2-4 sorties a day by next month, when more jets are expected at Luke AFB, Ebner said.

Construction, ... for the arrival of additional F-35s.
The Academic Training Center, which will house classrooms and 12 F-35 simulators, is under construction to be completed in late September.

Construction is also underway on the combined Operations/AMU building for the second F-35 squadron.

Other projects, ..
third Operations/AMU building,
a maintainer training facility and
a four-bay F-35 hangar are also in planning stages.

[spazsinbad]

Fleet takes shape with arrival of fifth F-35 at Luke
05 Aug 2014 Paul Giblin, The Republic | azcentral.com

"F-35 pilot Lt. Col. Michael "Jeb" Ebner made a low, slow circle above Luke Air Force Base on Tuesday morning, allowing the new plane's rumble to announce its arrival to anyone and everyone within earshot.

Minutes later, Ebner landed the $131.9 million stealth jet to cheers and high-fives by ground crew members who will service and maintain the military's most sophisticated and expensive jet.

The new aircraft, bearing the tail number LF 5035, brings the number of F-35 Lightning IIs at Luke to five. Two other F-35s arrived at the base in Glendale last week.

Five down; 139 to go...."

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loc ... /13657545/

[spazsinbad]

All about LUKE and what they'll do - for YOU!

Luke opens training center for F-35 pilots
13 Oct 2014 Paul Giblin

"Select fighter jet pilots will transition from a gleaming new building at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale to some of the grittiest locations on Earth, according Air Force Gen. Robin Rand, who visited the base to mark the completion of the $47 million Academic Training Center building late last week.

The building essentially is the Air Force's F-35 flight school.

U.S. and foreign military pilots are expected train side by side at the building for decades to come. Air Force brass, elected officials, aerospace- industry executives, current and future pilots and support personnel previewed the building Thursday during an outdoor ceremony under clear skies....

...Inside, there are classrooms, auditoriums, administration space and bays for 12 computerized flight simulators. It's outfitted with infrastructure to accommodate communication systems. Classified high-tech training equipment will be installed later.

Two flight simulators are scheduled to be delivered within weeks and two more during the summer of 2015, said Art Cameron, a Lockheed Martin executive who serves as the company's site coordinator at Luke. The remaining eight simulators will come online in years to come....

...Q: Why do F-35 pilot trainees need such a sophisticated building?

A: They need training equipment equal to the planes they'll fly. The F-35 is the most advanced fighter plane ever built. It is projected to replace a variety of older planes and to serve as the mainstay of the U.S. air defense system for decades.

It combines superior acceleration, agility and maneuverability with unprecedented and integrated sensor, targeting and communications systems, according to the Pentagon.

The key component of the training center is that it will house flight simulators that trainees will use before climbing into cockpits of actual F-35s. The simulators look, feel and react like fighter jets. Trainees will be able contend with simulated weather conditions, equipment failures and enemy attacks without ever leaving the ground.

"Those are critical for us to be prepared," said Rand, a four-star general. "This is a single-seat airplane, a single-engine airplane. Their first ride in this airplane will be by themselves, so we're going to be wringing out everyone here in this building before they go out and fly."

Q: When is the first class of trainees expected to begin?

A: Cameron, the Lockheed Martin exec, assured Air Force officials that the simulators and related equipment will be installed, checked out and ready to go for a full class by May 4, 2015.

The first wave of F-35 trainees will be drawn from experienced pilots already certified on F-15s, F-16s and A-10s, said Lt. Col. Matthew "Rip" Hayden, who will oversee operations in the building.

Those pilots will need about three months to become certified on the F-35.

Starting around 2016, new pilots will train on the F-35. Their training period will take longer. In addition, the jet is still undergoing testing. Once its full portfolio of capabilities is determined, the training program will be expanded accordingly, Hayden said...."

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loc ... /17236851/